


Mother Night

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: The Grove [11]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I love him, Mother. I don’t feel the need to hide or by shy about it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mother Night

She loved the sound of the applause. The audience enjoyed themselves and the standing ovation made that obvious. Emily stood on the stage between Cheryl Davenport, who played Louisa, and Elle who was a magnificent Baroness Schrader. They all held hands and bowed. Then Ms. Hillbridge came on stage to more applause. She grabbed Emily and Haley, who nearly moved the audience to tears with their version of _Sixteen Going on Seventeen,_ and shared a moment with them as the curtain came down on _The Sound of Music_.

“Everyone was amazing.” The drama teacher told them. “I'm so proud of you all; the audience loved you.”

There were cheers, slaps on the back, and hugs. Five months of rehearsal and more backstage drama than a soap opera, Barton-Cosgrove’s spring show went off without a single hitch. Everyone hit their mark and that was something to be proud of. Emily grabbed the carnations she had backstage and approached Haley. She was already flanked by some blondes, including Cheryl’s twin sister Trish, who was set to take over the blondes next year, and Kate Joyner, who was single-handedly the cause of much of the backstage shenanigans. Emily cleared her throat.

“Haley, I just wanted to congratulate you.” She handed her the flowers. “You were a terrific Maria and I look forward to performing with you again on Thursday.”

“These are lovely, Emily, thank you.” The blonde smiled and it almost seemed sincere. “You were good as well.”

“Actually,” Kate added. “There were times when I noticed you were a bit off-key, Prentiss. Luckily, Mark’s stellar abilities were able to hold you up.”

Some of the other blondes snickered but Emily noticed Haley didn’t. It mattered little anyway; their juvenile behavior wasn’t going to stop her from attempting kindness.

“Remind us again why you weren't in the play, Kate.” Elle said, walking over and putting her arm around Emily. “Oh that’s right, you're a talentless hack.”

“Go play in traffic, Elle.” Kate sneered.

“You first. C'mon, Em, Hotch was looking for you.”

“OK.”

They walked away but Haley stopped them.

“Thank you for the flowers, Emily.”

“You're welcome. You really were good.”

Elle licked her tongue out at Kate and they went to the other side of the room where Hotch stood with a dozen roses. Emily couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Hey IRS, have you seen Derek?” Elle asked.

“He’s around here somewhere. He had flowers for you.”

“He better had if he knows what’s good for him. My parents are here tonight…I guess its time for that dreadful formal introduction.”

“That makes him your boyfriend, you know.” Emily replied.

“Bite your tongue, Emily Prentiss.” She kissed her cheek. “Are you guys going to the diner? A bunch of us are having an after party there.”

“We’ll see.” Hotch replied.

“Good enough. Later taters.”

“Bye Elle. Thanks for the help with Kate.”

“It was truly my pleasure.”

She grinned and rushed off to find Derek and her flowers.

“Are those for me?” Emily asked, slipping her hands behind her back.

“Yes. You were amazing.”

“We worked really hard. I'm glad that it went so well.”

“So am I.” Hotch gave her the flowers.

She smelled the roses before throwing her arms around him. They shared a quick kiss and a tender hug. Emily knew Hotch felt uncomfortable with public displays of affection; she didn’t want to embarrass him.

“I covered my eyes when you and Mark kissed.” He whispered, still holding her close. 

“You did?”

“Yes; it was torture. It was pure agony actually.”

“We’ll do it once more on Thursday.” Emily replied.

“I know. I’ll be covering my eyes again.”

“Did you see my parents out there?”

“I sat with them. The place was packed but your dad saved me a seat. I was a little late.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. Sean’s babysitter was running late. I was here before you got on stage though. I didn’t miss much.”

“OK. Well, I better go and change; it might be fun to go to the diner.”

“Your dad mentioned going out for ice cream.”

“OK.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll be quick.”

“I’ll meet you in the auditorium.”

They parted ways and Hotch made his way back in front of the curtain. He was walking towards Emily’s family when he saw her. It was hard for him but he did his best to put on a smile.

“Ambassador Prentiss, I didn’t know you were here tonight.”

“Hello, Aaron. Actually it will be a surprise to Emily as well. There were meetings in Minsk that have been rescheduled. The change in plans allowed me to be in Washington.”

“I'm sure that will make Emily happy.”

“What's happening backstage?” Gregory asked.

“Emily’s changing so we can go. I told her about going for ice cream; she liked the sound of that. A bunch of the cast will probably be end up at the diner anyway.”

“The diner?” Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

“The Georgetown Diner, Mother.” Julia replied.

Emily’s older sister was staying with her father and stepmother during her two week spring break from Princeton University. Emily told Hotch that she’d had opportunities to travel all over the world with friends but there would always be time for that. Julia wanted to spend a little time at home.

“I thought we would have a nice dinner.” Elizabeth said.

“We had dinner before the show.” Natalie told her. “We’d really love it if you joined us, Elizabeth…it would mean so much to Emily.”

No, Hotch thought, we wouldn’t like it if you joined us. He knew it would mean a lot to Emily though. She hadn’t seen her mother since Christmas and that time had been stressful at best. Hotch turned around and dropped a bomb on her about their parents prior relationship. It was something he regretted though there was no way to take it back. 

Unfortunately, time hadn’t made him any more comfortable around Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss. He was practically crawling out of his skin to be away from her. Suddenly he would rather watch Emily kiss Mark Gregory 100 times than sit at a diner and make nice with her mother. OK, maybe that was going too far, but he really didn’t like it.

“Mother!” Emily ran to her mother and put her arms around her. “I thought you were in Minsk; I thought you wouldn’t make it.”

“Plans changed, sweetheart.” Elizabeth kissed her cheek. “You shouldn’t run, Emily, its not ladylike.”

“Yes, Mother.”

She hugged and kissed the rest of her family, smiling when they told her how excellent she was. Emily put her arm around Hotch.

“I was told there would be ice cream.” Emily said, smiling at her father.

“Hotch suggested the Georgetown Diner since the cast would be there as well.” Gregory replied. “We should get going so we won't have to wait long for a table.”

“That’s a great idea. You're coming, right Mother? I would love to introduce you to my friends.”

“I would love to meet them.” Elizabeth smiled.

“Great.”

“I’ll go with Mother.” Julia said. “Are you going with Hotch, Em?”

“Yes.”

The six of them walked out together and headed in separate directions to their respective vehicles.

***

The Georgetown Diner was more raucous than usual for a Tuesday night but still a controlled environment. There was much laughter and conversation; Belinda Carlisle played on the brand new corner jukebox. Elizabeth Prentiss felt uncomfortable but did a stellar job of concealing it. A part of her was really happy to see her daughter so full of life even at the expense of her comfort. She was meeting the many teenagers who came up to the table to congratulate Emily on her awesome performance.

Derek Morgan was a memorable character. So was Elle Greenaway with her olive skin and devilish smile…Elizabeth knew her mother well. There was Jennifer Jareau, or JJ as her friends insisted on calling her. She came over with David Rossi, whose father was quite important at the DoD. There was John Blackwolf, who was Apache, and a son of the activist of the same name. She met a bevy of precocious brunettes, smart boys, a few jocks, a police detective’s son, and the strangest blonde she’d ever seen by the name of Penelope Garcia. Elizabeth found her quite intriguing.

“Unfortunately Jason isn’t here tonight.” Emily said. “He’s Hotch’s other best friend; he’ll be at Thursday’s performance.”

“You seem very happy here, Emily.” Her mother replied.

“I am. I feel…at home.”

“I'm so glad to hear that.”

There was plenty of ice cream and pleasant conversation. Hotch was more quiet than usual but they all had a nice time. When it was over, the family stood outside in the light drizzle.

“I’d like to drive the girls home.” Elizabeth said. “There is something I need to talk to them about.”

Emily and Julia looked at each other. They didn’t say anything but nodded. Gregory nodded as well.

“Elizabeth, it’s always good to see you.” He kissed her cheek.

“We’ve known each other too long, Greg; I always know when you're lying. This time was good though. Goodnight, Natalie.”

“Goodnight, Elizabeth.”

The former Ambassador and his wife headed to their car, leaving Hotch alone with the women. Emily told her mother she wanted to say goodnight to Hotch privately and the Ambassador nodded. She held out her hand.

“It’s always a pleasure, Aaron. I hope to see you again soon.”

“Yes ma'am.” He shook her hand. “Goodnight. Goodnight, Jules.”

“Night, Hotch.”

Hotch and Emily walked a few feet away to lean on the wall by the diner’s entrance. Emily cuddled in his arms.

“You're not alright.” She said.

“Yes, I am.” He lied.

  
“I don’t believe you.”

“Stop it,” Hotch took her face in his hands and kissed her. “This is your night; it’s all about you. I don’t want you worry about me.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Em.”

“It was a really terrific night.”

“Yes,” Hotch nodded. “Go with your mom; I’ll call you before bed.”

“OK.” Emily smiled, kissing him once more. “We’ll talk in a little while. Drive safely.”

“I will.”

Hotch almost hated to let her go, but he did. He went to his car and headed home. Emily went with her mother and sister to the Lincoln Towncar and driver that Elizabeth had while in the nation’s capital.

“You and Aaron seem even closer than the last time I was here.” Climbing into the car, Elizabeth sat between her daughters.

“I love him, Mother. I don’t feel the need to hide or be shy about it. The feeling is mutual.”

“And what's this?” Elizabeth asked, holding up Emily’s right hand. “That’s a very expensive piece of jewelry, Emily.”

“It’s a promise ring. Hotch gave it to me on Christmas.”

“That must have been after I left. Emily…”

“Mother, you said you wanted to talk to us about something.” Julia interrupted. “Is everything alright?”

Emily was grateful to her sister for saving her from the interrogation. She had been doing so for as long as Emily could remember. Who knew how insane Emily might have ended up without her big sister always on her side?

“Well, there is no need to beat around the bush; you know I hate that kind of thing. I have cancer and next week I will have surgery to remove the tumor.”

“Oh my God!” Emily exclaimed.

“I'm fine, Emily.”

“Mother, having a tumor removed is not fine.” Julia replied.

“It’s in my breast, I discovered it through self-examination. Julia, this is why I always tell you to examine your breasts monthly. Emily, you're 18 now, you should probably do it as well. My doctor in Washington did a biopsy and found it to be malignant. I'm going to Memorial Sloan-Kettering next Wednesday to have it removed. Your father has graciously offered the New York condo for my recovery. Memorial Sloan-Kettering has the best cancer surgeons in the world. I'm not worried in the least.”

“You're going to have a mastectomy?” Emily asked. She was stunned by her mother’s calm demeanor. She was talking about cancer in the same tone of voice she used in meetings in Belarus. It didn’t make any sense.

“Oh no, darling. I'm going to have a lumpectomy. The tumor is small and the cancer cells contained to it. My doctor thinks by removing it I should have a full recovery. After the surgery there will be tests done to make sure the cancer has not spread. If it has, I would need chemotherapy. My doctor is pretty confident we’ve gotten it in time but I will cross the chemo road if we come to it.”

“I want to be with you when you have the surgery.” Julia said.

“Absolutely not.” Elizabeth shook her head.

“Mother, you shouldn’t go through this alone.”

“You need to be in school, Julia. Your education is a top priority to me.”

“Family is a top priority.” Julia countered. “Anyway, its spring break. I don’t have to be back at Princeton until next Sunday.” She took hold of her mother’s hand. “Please.”

“Alright, darling. I just don’t want you sitting around worrying about me.”

“I don’t mind; you're my mother. I’ll take the train up there on Tuesday evening.”

“I’ll come on Friday.” Emily said. “We’ll spend a few days together while you recover. I’ll bring trashy novels and bad videos.”

“I should be out of the hospital by then.” Elizabeth replied.

“Are you scared, Mother?” Emily asked.

“No,” Elizabeth said it and she meant it. “My mother was 52 when she had her double mastectomy. The cancer had spread and though she fought valiantly for over a decade, she lost her battle. I'm not going to let that happen to me. I've been doing self-exams for almost 20 years and I caught this early. Technology and research has grown leaps and bounds since my mother died…ten years ago lumpectomies weren't even a possibility. One day if, God forbid, this disease comes to you, your chances of survival will triple even mine. I'm not afraid, Emily. I'm a fighter and cancer can't have me. I'm sure after you two get over the initial shock of my telling you, you'll realize that too.”

The car pulled up to a curb and stopped. Emily knew they were home but she didn’t want to get out of the car. She was gripping her mother’s hand and so was her sister.

“Go inside, girls. I'm going to be fine and I’ll see you next week.”

“I love you, Mother.” Julia said.

“I love you too.” Emily added.

“I love you girls so much.” Elizabeth put her arms around them, kissing both of their faces. “I know that I have this tendency to be abrupt, strong-willed, and even unbearable. It’s OK if you agree; I know these things about myself. Another thing I know is that even though there were times I may have let you girls down or put diplomatic work ahead of the family, being your mother has always been important to me. No matter what, you're always going to be my girls.”

Emily and Julia nodded, getting out of the car. They looked back but couldn’t see their mother behind the black tinted windows of the Lincoln. Together they walked into the house and looked into the faces of their father and stepmother. Gregory and Natalie held out their arms; the girls came to them and sobbed their hearts out.

***

“Hello.” Hotch grabbed his cordless phone and turned down MTV.

“Aaron?”

“Emily? Baby, what's wrong?” He knew it wasn’t often that she called him Aaron.

“The thing my mother wanted to talk to me about…”

“Yeah?”

“She has breast cancer.”

“Oh my God, Em, I am so sorry. Should I come over? Do you need me there?”

“Yes, no…it’s a school night. You have to get up early in the morning. I don’t want you to be tired because of me. You have that Economics quiz and the Trig project.”

“I don’t care about that.” Hotch replied. “I only care about you; I love you.”

“I love you too, but you need to focus on your schoolwork. I would love for you to be here with me, Hotch, but I'm here with Dad, Nat, and Julia…we’re going to be alright.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. My mother is going to the hospital next week for a lumpectomy. Julia will be with her and I’ll travel there for the weekend to be with them.”

“Travel?” Hotch asked.

“She’s going to Memorial Sloan-Kettering for the procedure.” Emily replied. “Daddy has loaned her the New York condo for recovery.”

“So she’s not really sick? I'm sorry, I don’t know very much about breast cancer.”

Lung cancer killed his father. He had Stage 3 by the time he finally revealed it to his family and friends; seven months later Alexander Hotchner was dead. He knew it wouldn’t always be the case but that experience made Hotch equate cancer with death. He didn’t want to express that to Emily because surely she was frightened enough. He remembered he was numb when he found out about his father. He practically hated the man but was angry that they would never have a chance for a real, decent relationship.

“Breast cancer runs in my family; it killed my maternal grandmother. My mother has done self-exams for years and discovered a small lump. Doctors told her it was cancerous so they plan to remove it. They don’t have to take the whole breast, just the lump, that’s why it’s called a lumpectomy.”

“Then she’ll be OK?” He asked.

“Hopefully. They are performing the surgery immediately to prevent the cancer from spreading into her bloodstream. She told Julia and I not to worry. She even tried to prevent us from traveling with her.”

Hotch knew how stubborn Elizabeth Prentiss could be. He felt sick thinking about how much he didn’t like her just a few hours before. If anything happened to her it would be hard to live with those feelings. She had been his father’s mistress but that wasn’t special…Hotch discovered at least six women in DC who fit that profile. Her being the mother of the girl he loved complicated things a little more. 

Emily loved her mother but he knew that was wrapped up in feelings of resentment, abandonment, loneliness, and even hatred. The Prentisses had their share of skeletons; Hotch knew many of them but knew there were more. All the crazy feelings Emily felt right now broke his heart. Not to mention his feeling angry that Elizabeth had to do this tonight. 

It was Emily’s special night. She still had one more performance of _The Sound of Music_ the day after tomorrow. It might be nearly impossible for her to perform with this weighing on her mind. Elizabeth had to know that. She couldn’t have waited two days? The surgery wasn’t until next week.

“I'm sorry for every bad thought I've ever had about her.” He said.

“That’s sweet of you to say. How many have you had?”

“My fair share, believe me. I mean it, Em.”

“I know that a part of you truly does. You're a wonderful guy and you don’t like thinking bad things about people unless they deserve it. Sometimes my mother deserves it. As devastating as this news is, and as worried as I am about my mother’s prognosis, that doesn’t change things that came before. We all know she has her moments.”

“Still, I’ll feel better if I only focus on good thoughts for the time being.”

Hotch couldn’t think of many so he just thought about her getting better because that would make Emily happy. Elizabeth Prentiss was a lot of things but she didn’t deserve to suffer a death like his father did. Hell, even his father didn’t deserve that.

“I understand; I feel the same way. She was just so calm about it, Hotch; it makes me feel as if I'm worrying for nothing. Cancer is serious.”

“Yes it is. Still, if she is ready to fight, all you can do is support her. And I'm always going to support you, Emily.”

“Thanks. Sorry I sounded so frantic when you answered the phone.” She said.

“Don’t worry about it, you're allowed to be frantic with me. You're allowed to express anything you want.”

“Yeah. I'm just going to go to bed now. It’s been a long day and a long evening.”

“I’ll pick you up for school in the morning.”

“OK. I love you, Aaron, so much.”

“I love you too, and you were great tonight. I know some other things have happened since then but I needed to tell you that again.”

“Thank you. Sweet dreams.”

“You too, baby. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Emily hung up the phone and took a deep breath. She held on to the receiver, wanted to call Hotch back and ask him to come. He would have; he already said he would. She didn’t want to be alone but she didn’t want to talk about it either. She just wanted to be held, loved, feel anything but the numbness running through her veins like ice water. The ringing of the phone scared her but Emily clicked it back on.

“Hello.”

“If I climb the trellis no one will know I'm there.” He said.

“And if my parents check on me in the middle of the night?”

“They will find two fully dressed teenagers sleeping, that’s all. I'm worried about you, Em, and I don’t want you to be alone.”

“How fast can you get here?” she asked.

“Fifteen minutes. Wait by the door for me?”

“Be careful climbing the trellis Aaron, it’s probably slippery from the rain.”

“I will, I promise. I'm on my way.”

“Alright; see you soon.”

Emily hung up and this time she didn’t feel so empty. Still, it probably wasn’t the best idea to sneak her boyfriend into her bedroom. Her parents trusted her; she should trust them as well. It had been a good night but turned into a scary night…she needed to be with Aaron. They would understand that, wouldn’t they? She got up from her bed, hung up the phone, and went down the hall to tell them he would be coming. It would make her feel better to be honest with them since nothing unsavory would be happening in her bedroom tonight. Her parents should sleep as soundly as she would with Hotch’s arms around her.

***

                                                                                                                                  

  



End file.
